Friday, March 27, 2009

One of Tokyo's most recognizable buildings is the Asahi Beer Hall on the east bank of the Sumida River opposite Asakusa. Designed by French architect Philippe Starck, the golden flame is supposedly beer foam rising from the beer mug-shaped building below.

Affectionately nicknamed the "Golden Turd" (kin no unchi) the hollow stainless steel structure weighs over 300 tons and was completed in 1989 at the height of Japan's pretentious "Bubble Period".

Asahi Breweries HQ is situated nearby. Paricularly good views of the building are to be had from the Tokyo water bus on the Sumida River.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

The Tokyo Central Post Office Building near Tokyo Station in the Marunouchi district of Tokyo has been granted a reprieve from demolition.

The ugly 1930s building, designed by Tetsuro Yoshida, was due to be redeveloped and a new 38-story tower rise in its place, saving only about 20% of the original facade.

Opposition to the plan from the Internal Affairs & Communication Ministry and its head Hatoyama Kunio has lead to a rethink from Japan Post Holdings Co. The Japanese Post Office was split up under the government of ex-PM Koizumi Junichiro and the new entities thus created now own the buildings they operate in.

The Osaka Central Post Office redevelopment is also now under review. The Kita ward building in central Osaka was designed by the same architect.

The Internal Affairs & Communication Ministry and Japan Post Holdings Co have already clashed over the proposed sale, subsequently canceled, of 79 Kampo no Yado hotels that Japan Post proposed to sell to Orix Corp. The Ministry intervened, claiming the value of the properties was undervalued.

The break up of Japan Post under Koizumi was a devisive issue for the ruling LDP at the time and remains so today.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Itagaki Taisuke (1837-1919), a nationalist politician of the Meiji Period, was a leader of the Popular Rights Movement and became the head of Japan's first political party - the Jiyuto (Liberal Party).

Born to a samurai family in present-day Kochi Prefecture on Shikoku, Itagaki was active in the overthrow of the Tokugawa regime and became a minister in the new Meiji government.

Itagaki resigned his official post in 1873 over what he thought was the excessive power of the Satsuma-Choshu factions in the new government and their failure to invade nearby Korea. Satsuma (present-day Kagoshima) and Choshu (Yamaguchi) were the two areas that had been dominant in the overthrow of the shogunate.

Returning to his native Kochi, Itagaki set up the Victorian-style, self-help organization - the Risshisha - and made calls for a more representative form of government and popular rights. This initially local movement coalesced into the national Freedom and People's Rights Movement (自由民権運動), an unstable alliance of samurai and peasants, agitating for an elected assembly.

In 1881 Itagaki was instrumental in setting up Japan's first political party - the Jiyuto (Liberal Party) and later became Home Minister in 1898. Then, as now, Japanese politics was rife with factional rivalries and Itagaki retired from public life in 1900.

Itagaki was the victim of an assassination attempt by a right-wing thug armed with a knife in Gifu in 1882. Stained with blood, he called out his most famous phrase: "Itagaki may die, but liberty never."

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

A 158cm walking, talking female humanoid robot, HRP-4C, was unveiled to the press on Monday. Developed by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science in Tsukuba, HRP-4C has 42 motors made by Honda, weights 42kg and can respond to language with various hand and facial gestures. She's also pretty cute!

The HRP-4C robot will make a guest appearance at Japan Fashion Week in Tokyo. The robot cost 200 million yen (2 million USD) to develop and later models may go on sale to the public.

Here's a paraphrase of what the professor says at the end of the video:
"What we have attempted to create is a robot with human-like proportions and,
in addition, the ability to walk at a normal speed.

To be honest, though, the robot is still a ways off in terms of walking speed."

There are some excellent views of the small islands in Toba Bay from Hiyoriyama, a short walk either past the Toba Minato Machi Bunka Kaikan or through Kata Shrine right near Toba station and the oyster bars in the Ekimae Shotengai.

The trail passes Medaka School a science and learning center for school children with a foot spa if your feet have begun to ache from the walk.

You will also pass Jouanji Temple, the family temple of the old feudal lords of the area - the Kuki clan and Kotohiragu Toba Bunsha - a shrine connected with Kotohiragu Shrine (Kompira san) on Shikoku. There are more great views of the ocean from here.

The whole walk talks about 90mins to 2 hours.

There are Kinstetsu trains to Toba from Osaka and Nagoya (1 hour, 35 mins) and there are overnight highway buses from Ikebukuro via Kuwana and Tsu to Toba.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

The Nagoya/Boston Museum of Fine Arts, which opened in 1999, is the sister museum of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (MFA).

The museum shows exhibitions from the collection of over 500,000 works of art in Boston and other world class exhibits. Located on the south side of Kanayama Station, the museum is located in a 31-story tower also containing the ANA Grand Court Hotel, Nagoya, and the Nagoya Urban Center.

The Nagoya/Boston Museum of Fine Arts occupies three floors with gallery spaces, a shop and resource library.

Upcoming exhibitions including Gauguin and 100 years of Noritake Design. Recent past exhibitions include The World of Claude Monet and an exhibition of artifacts commemorating the 150th anniversary of the U.S.-Japan Treaty of Amity and Commerce and the lives of Commodore Perry and Townsend Harris in Japan in the mid-nineteenth century.

In 2008, police actions against youth motorcycle gangs (bozozoku) reached a record 307 cases. The National Police Agency estimates the total number of bozozoku gangs in Japan as 651 with a membership of 11,516.

Source: Kyodo News

According to Justice Ministry statistics, local authorities have inadvertently issued approximately 20,000 registration cards to foreigners staying illegally in Japan. A proposed new law would toughen penalties for illegals in Japan with prison sentences of between 1-10 years, while extending the maximum period of stay from 3 to 5 years for foreign residents.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Most international flights from Chubu International Airport in Japan depart at around 10am. So with check-in two hours before at 8am, many travelers from central Japan in Nagano, Gifu, Mie and Shizuoka prefectures may opt to spend the night before their departure at one of Chubu International Airport's hotels.

Hotel options at Chubu International Airport include the Comfort Hotel and the Toyoko Inn Chubu Kokusaikuko Hotel, which has Orange & Green sides.

The Toyoko Inn Chubu Kokusaikuko Orange Side Hotel is a short walk from the departure gates and has good views of the ocean. Tour groups can cause some noise but it is possible to ask for a change of room, if this occurs.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Toyama Folkcraft Village set in the forested hills of Mount Kureha above Toyama City is certainly worth a peek if you are in the area or visiting Toyama on a day trip from Takayama.

Easy to get to on the free tourist shuttle or city bus, the Toyama Folkcraft Village, contains several museums dedicated to Toyama Prefecture's arts and crafts: particularly glass and medicines for which the area is well-known. There are also museums of local history and art plus an elegant tea ceremony room and a reference library.

The Folkcraft Museum is very near to Chokeiji Temple and its 500 statues of rakan - enlightened Buddhist adepts.

Toyama Folkcraft Village is accessible on the free Toyama Museum bus from outside the CiC Building across from Toyama JR Station (ask the tourist office to stamp your brochure) or take a Toyama Chitetsu bus for Shin-Sakuradani, Kurehayama-Rojin-Center from JR Toyama Station and alight at Anyobo bus stop.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Gallery ef is pleased to announce a photography exhibition by Paule Saviano "From Above" from March 13th to April 12th, 2009. On tomorrow, 12th (Thu.), we will have an opening reception. Paule Saviano will attend this reception.

Please join from all over the world !

Paule Saviano Photography Exhibition "From Above"
An American photographer Paule Saviano releases his newest series that portrays Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivors and Tokyo Air Raids Survivors. It reflects how he faced the trace of historical tragedy and the present day of the people who experienced these events.

Paule Saviano Profile
New York native Paule Saviano has been snapping photographs since he was 12 years old. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in two majors; Visual Media and Political Science from the American University (1996) in Washington, DC.
Since than he's been published in magazines around the globe and has accepted every kind of photography assignment from fashion to landscape until settling into portrait photography. His photographs have appeared in magazines such as Faces (Switzerland), Belio (Spain), Mono (Japan), Resonance (USA), Talk (Australia), Index (USA), and numerous others.
He's criss-crossed the world photographing many personalities and bands such as Marilyn Manson, Radiohead, and AC/DC to name a few.
Paule has had solo exhibitions at galleries in Tokyo, New York, Shanghai, London, Helsinki, and Italy. He continues to produce images that blend realism and surreal fantasy.
His series on striptease burlesque artists in the rising underground burlesque scene has been exhibiting around the globe for 3 years. Paule continues to travel the globe to produce images.

At 112 metres in height, the Portopia Hotel dominates the skyline of Port Island, a man-made island in Kobe Bay.

Built in 1981 and designed by Nikken Sekkei, the rooms in the 30-storey Portopia Hotel either have expansive views over Osaka Bay, or over Kobe city with Rokko Mountain behind.

Among Portopia's facilities are indoor and outdoor swimming pools, gym, tennis courts, and 13 restaurants. The hotel has extensive conference facilities and hosts many International conferences, including recently some meetings of the G8 Summit held in 2008 in Japan.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

This time of year in Japan sees the first mass "flower viewing" of the calendar. The blossomings of the nation's plum trees are an early harbinger of spring and people flock in their thousands to see the colorful plum (ume) flowers in gardens, temples and parks across the nation.

Gifu city's 57th annual (plum) ume festival took place at the weekend in Bairin Park, a short bus ride or 30 minute stroll from either JR Gifu Station or Meitetsu Gifu Station.

There were the usual festival food stalls in evidence in the park: okonomiyaki pancakes, takoyaki octopus balls, fried potatoes, fried corn, yakisoba (fried noodles) and squid on a stick. Besides the permanently parked steam locomotive in Bairin Park other attractions to lure visitors to attend and maybe splash their cash a bit were puppet shows, chindonya, musical performances, bonzai displays and rickshaw rides.

The stalls spread throughout the surrounding streets as housewives and tradespeople set out their local delicacies and crafts for sale.

Zuiryoji Temple near Bairin Park was particularly beautiful with its large pink plum blossoms in full bloom.

The area of Dotonbori was developed in the early part of the 17th century by Doton Yasui, a local merchant, who expanded what was then called the Umezu River. A typical Osaka businessman, he was hoping to connect the two branches of the Yohori River with a canal - and thereby improve business and the flow of goods - but died before the work was finished.

The canal was completed in 1615, and the lord of Osaka Castle named it for Doton, who had died in battle.

Six years later the area was designated an "entertainment district," and by the 1660s there were six kabuki theaters, five bunraku theaters, and many restaurants and bars and brothels.

Most of those theaters are long gone, and the area was bombed to the ground during World War II.

Today it is a thriving nightlife area, with plenty to see, do, and buy.

The central area of Dotonbori is the Ebisubashi bridge over the canal, from which you can see the famous Glico neon sign (above right).

The bridge is jokingly referred to as "Hikkake Bashi" ("pick up bridge") because of the action at night and the many pimps who congregate on the bridge after dark. (These men, pictured above, earn money not by prostituting women, but rather by trying to entice women to host bars. They get a cut of a client's tab.)

Among restaurants, Kani Doraku is perhaps the best known. That is because of the delicious crab and the massive moving "crab" above the main entrance.

You can walk north from Ebisubashi up the arcade. Store after store after store will no doubt entice you.

Reservations: Not necessary but recommended and appreciated. Just show up to the party!

Over 25,000 Yen worth of exciting prize giveaways each month!

a free 1GB iPod Shuffle, a Wii-Fit, and many more fantastic prizes to the winning group!!

There will be free food along with free drinks (beers, wine, cocktail drinks and juices).Our party is not a dinner party, but we will have light food & snacks.Quantities are limited, so please come early! Please free to come alone or bring your friends.EVERYBODY is welcome to join regardless of nationality/gender. Reservation is greatly appreciated.About 125-150+ people are expected to attend. Approximately 55% female and 45% male, 70% Japanese and 30% non-Japanese.Pictures from previous Nagoya Friends Parties.

The Red Rock is located behind the Chunichi Building in the Sakae business/shopping district.

Subway access from Sakae Station (serving the yellow and purple lines) Exit 13. It’s a big station connected to a huge underground shopping mall so you’ll need to do a little underground walking.

We’re also just a couple of minutes’ walk from the Tokyu and Precede hotels, and a 10 minute walk up Hirokoji Street from the Hilton Hotel in Fushimi.

Train Directions

From Nagoya Stn. take the Higashiyama Subway line to Sakae Station (GET OFF at Sakae Station!!) Take exit #13 and then walk straight AWAY from Hirokoji-Dori for about 3/4 of a block. TURN LEFT Red Rock is on the right side of the street in the middle of the block. Look for the sign on the sidewalk.

In 2007, there were 88 schools for Brazilians resident in Japan. These schools are found in 12 of the country's 47 prefectures.

Including 3 schools for Peruvian workers, a total of 10,000 students attend these schools.

Source: Kyodo News

The Japanese Government Pension Investment Fund made a record 5.74 trillion yen loss on its investments in the last quarter of 2008 as the yen rose in value and the stock markets crashed.

Source: GPIF

The initial estimation for the number of suicides in Japan in 2008 is 32,000 - the 11th straight year the total has topped 30,000. Yamanashi Prefecture was the suicide capital of Japan with 40.8 deaths per 100,000 people followed by Aomori with a suicide rate of 36.5. The National Police Agency released figures showing 2,645 people (1,994 men; 751 women) killed themselves in January 2009 up from 2,305 for January 2008.

Saturday, March 07, 2009

Betty Boop, an American creation from the early 1930s has always been a presence in Japan, with her beguiling blend of the child-like and the adult-sexy. She taps into Japan's obsession with the comic (especially the home-grown manga comic) and with cuteness, or kawaii.

Kawaii, roughly translated as “cute” is a cultural trend that began as an underground craze among Japanese schoolgirls in the 1970s for a particular writing style characterized by large, rounded letters, and interspersed with emoticon-style drawings. It was quickly taken aboard commercially, worked into manga art, and is now found even in officialdom, which freely uses kindergarten-level graphics in communications designed to persuade adults.

Emphasizing helplessness and vulnerability, the kawaii obsession fuels the “lolicon,” i.e. “Lolita complex," obsession with erotic depictions of young girls and, by extension, guarantees the popularity of that cutest and sexiest of characters, Betty Boop.

This Betty Boop figurine was snapped on the streets of Tokyo's Shibuya ward, a retro symbol of cute pointing shoppers to the appropriately named “Once Upon a Time” clothing store. The chain around her middle clearly serves the practical purpose of saving little Betty from abduction, but it would be a naïve passerby who didn't see more in it that that.

Some names of means of transport are written in katakana if the name is taken from a foreign language such as cable car (keburuka ケーブルカー), monorail (monoreru モノレール) and, of course, bus (bazu バズ) and taxi, (takushi タクシー)

Most visitors and residents will make use of Japan's extensive rail and urban subway systems for getting to and from work or traveling the country.

The inter-city shinkansen bullet trains and many express trains offer both reserved and non-reserved seats: shiteiseki (reserved seat 指定席) and jiyuseki (non-reserved seat 自由席). The Shinkansen first class carriages are known as "green car" (グリーンカー). Tickets and reservations can be booked at the station booking office, from ticket machines, from travel agents and online.

The shinkansen and most express trains have both smoking (kitsu-en 喫煙) and no-smoking (kin-en 禁煙) carriages, though smoking on platforms is being limited to small smoking areas. We'll go into more detail on the language needed to use Japanese trains in a future post. In the meantime, happy traveling!

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

An early morning tour of a sumo stable to see young sumo wrestlers practicing is one of the most popular Tokyo tours offered by HIS Experience Japan.

The tour begins at Hamacho Station on the Toei-Shinjuku Line and lasts from 8:15am-10:45am. The tour includes watching the practice and enjoying chankonabe with the wrestlers. This tour is a unique opportunity learn about the daily life of sumo wrestlers with an English-speaking Japanese tour guide.

Monday, March 02, 2009

Izumo and Matsue in Shimane Prefecture in south west Japan are connected by two railway lines.

The JR San-in Line runs south of Lake Shinji and the Ichibata Railway Kitamatsue Line runs to the north of Japan's 7th largest lake. The JR San-in Line is the quicker of the two routes between the cities and is handy for Tamatsukuri Hot Springs and the small town of Shinji near Izumo Airport.

The Ichibata Electric Railway has two lines. The 40km line between Izumo and Matsue and an 8km spur from Kawato Station (on the Kitamatsue Line) to Izumo Taisha-mae Station, near Izumo Taisha. The Ichibata Railway Izumo Station is to your right as you exit the main JR Izumo Station.